it comes to that.  Served in cou’ses, and dinner at seven o’clock.  I don’t know where he got his money for ’t all, but I guess he put in his insurance fust, and then he put a mortgage on the buildin’; be as much as owned it; said he’d had a splendid season last year, and if he done as well for a copule of seasons more he’d have the whole prop’ty free o’ debt.”

Westover could see that the prosperity of the unjust man had corrupted the imagination and confounded the conscience of this simple witness, and he asked, in the hope of giving his praises pause:  “What has he done about the old family burying-ground in the orchard?”

“Well, there!” said Whitwell.  “That got me more than any other one thing:  I naturally expected that Jeff ’d had ’em moved, for you know and I know, Mr. Westover, that a place like that couldn’t be very pop’la’ with summer folks; they don’t want to have anything to kind of make ’em serious, as you may say.  But that devil got his architect to treat the place, as he calls it, and he put a high stone wall around it, and planted it to bushes and evergreens so ’t looks like a piece of old garden, down there in the corner of the orchard, and if you didn’t hunt for it you wouldn’t know it was there.  Jeff said ’t when folks did happen to find it out, he believed they liked it; they think it’s picturesque and ancient.  Why, some on ’em wanted him to put up a little chapel alongside and have services there; and Jeff said he didn’t know but he’d do it yet.  He’s got dark-colored stones up for Mis’ Durgin and Jackson, so ’t they look as old as any of ’em.  I tell you, he knows how to do things.”

“It seems so,” said Westover, with a bitterness apparently lost upon the optimistic philosopher.

“Yes, sir.  I guess it’s all worked out for the best.  So long’s he didn’t marry Cynthy, I don’t care who he married, and—­I guess he’s made out fust-rate, and he treats his wife well, and his mother-in-law, too.  You wouldn’t hardly know they was in the house, they’re so kind of quiet; and if a guest wants to see Jeff, he’s got to send and ask for him; clerk does everything, but I guess Jeff keeps an eye out and knows what’s goin’ on.  He’s got an elegant soot of appartments, and he lives as private as if he was in his own house, him and his wife.  But when there’s anything goin’ on that needs a head, they’re both right on deck.

“He don’t let his wife worry about things a great deal; he’s got a fust-rate of a housekeeper, but I guess old Mis’ Vostrand keeps the housekeeper, as you may say.  I hear some of the boa’ders talkin’ up there, and one of ’em said ’t the great thing about Lion’s Head was ’t you could feel everywheres in it that it was a lady’s house.  I guess Jeff has a pootty good time, and a time ’t suits him.  He shows up on the coachin’ parties, and he’s got himself a reg’lar English coachman’s rig, with boots outside his trouse’s, and a long coat and a fuzzy plug-hat:  I tell you, he